DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTERThirty years of Teaching, Learning, Caring for marine mammals and the environment we share.DRC is a nonprofit marine mammal education and research facility located in the heart of the fabulous Florida Keys. Home to a family of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions, DRC offers a variety of educational, fun, exciting programs, and close-up interactions. We hope you enjoy our blog!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

We're expecting the storm named Isaac to visit the Florida Keys in a few hours. It's unsure yet whether we'll experience this as a tropical storm (winds in the 45 mph to 73 mph range) or a Category 1 hurricane (winds 74 to 90 mph). Whatever the case, Dolphin Research Center has completed thorough preparations to secure the facility and, of course, our dolphin and sea lion family!

A stay-behind crew will remain at DRC for the duration of the Isaac event. This morning it was still safe enough for some of the trainers who live near the facility to go in, feed and care for the pod. Before the storm arrives in full strength and makes in unsafe for people to be out on the grounds, the stay-behind crew will provide another meal and then hunker down in the safe building. As soon as possible after the worst of the weather passes, they'll be out on the grounds to check on the dolphins and sea lions and the entire facility.

Everyone always asks what exactly we do to prepare for a hurricane. We have a detailed plan that we follow and actually began our storm preparations on Friday. Well in advance of any storm, the Environmental Services team checks the generators and lays in supplies that might be needed.

Staff members take care of their offices and buildings, making sure that equipment is protected and storm shutters properly installed. As you can imagine, there's a great deal to be done around the lagoons and public areas. We temporarily remove some of the floating docks and increase the security of others. Everything that could get blown around or into any of the lagoons is removed and stored. This includes benches, stairs, gear, equipment, trash and recycling receptacles, and all of the signs that are normally posted around the dolphins.

Even the lunch truck is moved from where it usually sits near the front lagoon and taken to a more secure location!

The tropical birds that normally live in an outdoor aviary take up residence in the DolphinLab classroom to keep them out of the wind and weather. The various cats are kept inside as well.

Preparing for a storm event is a lot of work, to be sure, but the DRC family works great as a team and everything that needs to be done to protect our home and family is completed in time. There was a lot of activity yesterday, and we snapped some photos to share a few of the tasks with you.

As soon as possible after the storm, we'll post an update to let you know that everything's okay. You can also check our Facebook page throughout the storm, as weather, Internet connection and available power permit!

Crossbars were added to reinforce the Causeway Tiki

Guest Services staff shuttered the Gift Shop

Volunteers collected toys and gear for safe storage

Dylan and Adam worked on the sound system

Even the ropes that line the lagoons are removed. Aleta checked out our progress.

Trainers Laura (red cap) and Loriel bring a meal to the dolphins in the front lagoon.
Loriel is multi-tasking -- getting a storm update from Linda on the phone.

Visual Communications staff and volunteers moved
equipment from the Photo Tiki

Thursday, August 16, 2012

“Pandora’s all smiles when the trainers go out of their way to entertain her during sessions”.

Dolphin Research Center is a facility where you will never exactly
see the same session twice. We are constantly changing up our routine,
trainers, and educators during each program. You could spend an entire month at
DRC and every session would be different.

We don’t change what’s going on for our audience, but for
our dolphins. Just like us, dolphins can lose interest in something they’re
doing and once you’ve lost a dolphin’s attention the session is over. Our
dolphins love when our trainers and staff members act silly. Our trainers run
up and down the boardwalk, dance around, and work hard to make every session
unique; whether it’s new training, enrichment, or research.

It doesn’t stop there. If you walk by a dolphin on the
causeway and don’t interact, they make it known. Our dolphins will literally call
out to you to be entertained! When that happens, you can’t walk away. You’ll
often find people bobbing up and down, waving, or blowing kisses to our
beautiful dolphins.

Several of our dolphins can do an entire session simply
based off the attention they’re given. Pandora, for example, loves when her
trainers entertain her and could care less about the fish they’re offering.
Since she was a calf, Pandora has been curious about the world. She loves to
play with new toys and feeds off of the energy she’s given. Interactions with
Pandora tend to be fast paced and energizing.

Not only do our dolphins love attention, we encourage our
guests to be as silly and playful as possible. Our visitors come from other
cities, states, and even countries to see the DRC family and we want them to
have a memory that lasts a lifetime. Jax waving or Rainbow giggling at you is a
unique story to tell to your friends and family and a great way to remember
your day at DRC!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Guests often ask how we name our dolphins. Our animals have
unique identifiers that are given to them for various reasons. Some of our
dolphins like Molly, Sandy, and Rainbow, came to us from other facilities and
we didn’t want to change the handle they already knew. Other dolphins have been
named based on their “dolphinalities”.

Pandora, for example, was given her designation because she
was a curious little girl. She was nicknamed our “bumper baby” because she
would get into anything and everything. Her mom, Merina, had a hard time
keeping up with her! Even as a newborn, Pandora was an independent calf eager
to explore her surroundings.

Our
rescue dolphins, Jax and Louie, were given their names because of where they
were rescued. Jax was found in the Saint John’s River in Jacksonville and Louie
was found after the oil spill in Louisiana. We felt it important to honor their
stories.

Many of our other dolphins were given names connected to their
genealogy. A.J. is in honor of his parents Aphrodite and Joe. Delta’s name is a
combination of his grandfather Delphi and mom Aleta. We love our dolphin
heritage and it’s important for us to always remember our cherished dolphins.

Luna and Pax got their names because of when they were born.
Luna was born on a blue moon so she was given the Spanish word for moon. Pax,
means peace in Latin, and we thought this appropriate for a dolphin born on
Easter Sunday.

Unlike humans, we do not name our dolphins when they are first
born. We take suggestions for names from staff and members, but nothing is
official until we know more about our new little blessing. Gender cannot be
established until we get a good view of a baby’s belly side which may take
several months. Once we know whether we have a female or male baby dolphin and
a little bit about their personality, we can select the perfect name for our
new family member.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

On a daily basis, guests say that those of us who are
fortunate to work at Dolphin Research Center have a dream job. The most
rewarding part of the job is seeing the happiness and excitement on our guests’
faces. Whether they just swam with dolphins, or are waving to them from the
causeway, you can’t help but enjoy seeing how mesmerized people are by our
animals.

DRC is a great place to bring children. We have a refreshing
Sprayground, a multitude of educational narrations all day long, and questions
are always welcomed. Often times, you’ll find members of our Education
Department in the Dolphin Theatre twenty minutes after a program has ended
listening to kids’ stories and what they have to say about dolphins. It’s a
great environment to learn in, since we have no behind the scenes and no topic is
taboo.

We love to consider our doors open to kids of all ages. Adults
clap and cheer with the same enthusiasm as a child. When we ask our guests where
they’re from, many will say they’re from another continent and have been members
of DRC and dreamt about coming to swim with our dolphins. Parents run around the
Sprayground with the same vivacity as a toddler and ask staff questions as
eagerly as an elementary school student.

During a recent session, emphatic cheers could be heard for
every one of our dolphins. “Great job, Tursi!” “Way to go, Louie” “Molly,
you’re so funny!” “Go, baby dolphins, go!” The screams were so loud; they
competed with our dolphins’ squeals. If you’ve ever heard our dolphins scream,
you know they’re boisterous! When I turned to look and see who was cheering on
our dolphins with such devotion, it was a man who looked to be in his early
thirties. He wasn’t there with his family or friends, he just loved our
dolphins and couldn’t help but go on and on about our fantastic facility. He’d
been a member for over ten years and absolutely adored everything DRC stood
for. Hearing him speak about DRC, he had the same intensity as a child on the
playground telling his friends about a summer adventure in the Keys. It was
such a refreshing encounter, and one that DRC staff is privileged to have on a
nearly daily basis.

The great part about Dolphin Research Center is that our
programs are meant for kids of all ages. It doesn’t matter if you’re a four
year old girl seeing a dolphin for the first time, or an eighty year old man
swimming with dolphins for the tenth time, DRC transcends all age groups.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Dolphin Research
Center is proud to announce that we have now established The College of Marine
Mammal Professions (CMMP), a fully licensed academic institution where students
will acquire extensive practical knowledge and hands on skills.Not only will they receive the training they
need to work in this industry, but they will also earn a college degree in the
process when they successfully complete the program!

In
September, 2013, the first CMMP program, an Associate of Science Degree in
Marine Mammal Behavior, Care and Training (MMBCT) will commence.In the future, we intend to expand and offer
other degrees within the field of marine mammal professions.

The application period for the first program begins in a few months on November 1, 2012!

Among the many skills that
students in the MMBCT program will develop will be the ability to assess marine
mammal behavior, adeptly provide appropriate husbandry care and apply positive
training techniques for the well being and enrichment of marine mammals in
human care. Additionally, graduates of this program will learn a variety of
presentation techniques to assist them in educating a wide range of audiences.

As a long time innovator in
the field of marine mammal professions, DRC is excited to take a lead role in
offering professional degreed programs that will positively enhance the lives
of marine mammals in human care and around the world.